


Revolution; Through Hate and Hellfire

by Septimius_Jackson



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: AU, Action/Adventure, All Human, Detective! Percy, F/F, F/M, M/M, Minor Character Death(s), Mystery, Science Fiction, Slow Burn, heavy dose of conspiracy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:20:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26518108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Septimius_Jackson/pseuds/Septimius_Jackson
Summary: Percy Jackson, a 36-year-old single father to a 15-year-old girl, is a homicide detective at the 3rd New York Police Department precinct, working to make the city a safer place. Thirty years ago, the governments of the world signed over control to a single neutral faction, dedicated to creating a global nation of peace known as “The Republic of Earth”. This faction, known universally as The Council made this happen, creating a single armed military force dedicated to keeping the peace around the world. Those who resisted were immediately arrested, declared guilty of treason, and sent off to large work camps around the globe, where the prisoners would work until they completed their specified prison term. The people welcomed this change with open arms, happy the fighting had stopped. A small faction has popped up however, a group of people calling themselves The Olympians, sowing chaos and terror among the populace with every bombing and shooting that occurred since the terrorist group’s founding.At least, that’s what The Council said.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Paul Blofis/Sally Jackson, Thalia Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter One - The Courier

**Author's Note:**

> Hello,  
> This work is going to be a much longer project than my Percabeth Filmverse AUs collection I first started with. While I am still continuing the collection, I came up with this idea a while back, long before I started posting, before adjusting it's characters to fit with Percy and others. I do not know when this project will be finished, but I plan for the story to be longer than fifty chapters in length, each chapter no less than 7,000 words. Updates will be much slower than my fast pace updates of the movies, as this will be my own story I am creating. I hope you enjoy.  
> Thank you.
> 
> Now for the usual. This is a disclaimer; The characters are not my own, those belong to Rick Riordan himself. The plot line of the work however, is mine.

### Chapter One

#### The Courier

 _Beep, beep. Beep, beep. Beep, beep._

A man with sea green eyes and jet black hair reached over the side of his bed, hitting the stop button on the small digital clock. The blaring sound ceased, and the room filled with mostly silence again. New York never slept, after all. Glancing over with a sigh, the numbers **6:15** blinked back at him. Falling back into bed, he rubbed his face with the palms of his hands and exhaled through his nose. Moments later, he was throwing back the covers and putting both feet onto the floor, looking out the open blinds of his bedroom window into the streets of New York down below. The man wore no shirt, revealing a long scar across his midsection. An old wound from a case gone bad. The faint sound of traffic reached through the glass to his ears, a sound he knew very well. He stood from the lumpy mattress and grabbed a fresh shirt, pair of pants and a towel from the nearby dresser, before walking into the bathroom, and closing the door behind him.

Fifteen minutes later, he emerged, his messy black hair damp, a cloud of steam drifting through the open door. He flicked on the light in his bedroom, before closing the door to the bathroom. Standing before the mirror next to his closet, he looked at himself. His body was well built, fit for a swimmer. The skin was tan, an obvious sign of how much time he usually spent out in the waves, and was rough to the touch. A side effect of his job. Percy Jackson was a 36-year-old Homicide Detective, working at the New York Police Department of the 3rd Precinct. His hair was an absolute mess, though he knew from experience that it would take an unbelievable amount of time to flatten it down, he just let it be. He sighed again, as he noticed the slight stubble on his chin and cheeks, the hairs prickling against his hand as he rubbed his jaw. Pulling on a pair of black boots, he grabbed his wallet, Police badge, and standard issue firearm from a drawer in the dresser, before walking out the door. 

Thirty minutes later, he was downstairs in the kitchen of his apartment, cooking several slices of bacon and whisking some eggs at the same time, as he watched the news playing on the TV in the living room through the half wall that separated the two rooms. “...more protesters on the streets late last night broke out into an argument with the local police forces, before a rifle was fired into the crowd. This lead to several wounded, and two dead. The gunshots resulted in chaos as the protesters fled the area in multiple directions, which resulted in more injured as they trampled over one another. There are reports of someone egging the crowd on, to fight the police, only minutes before the rifle was fired. No police officers were seriously injured, but the Captain on duty reported that some of his officers did get a little banged up in the resulting panic. It is not yet confirmed, but we believe a member of the radical group, the Olympians, started the conflict with the intention, we believe, to get the protesters to fight with law enforcement. The police chief is going to give a press report later this afternoon with more information on this morning’s altercation. In other news, Councilman Kronos Drepani is moving forward with a bill to restrict access the "Retained" have when they are released from the work camps...” Percy looked away, frowning at the bacon sizzling on the pan before him.

“Hey, dad.” A voice came from the stairs leading to the second floor of the apartment. Percy glanced up, the frown fading from his face. Serena Jackson, a young fifteen-year-old girl with her father’s eyes and messy black hair stood at the bottom landing, wearing a t-shirt showing off a small time band on the front, and a pair of jeans. Her hair, unlike Percy's reached her shoulders, “Breakfast smells good.” Percy smiled, setting the spatula off to the side as she approached him.

The two embraced one another, Serena kissing her father’s cheek before stepping away. “Good morning. Sleep alright?” He asked, moving the bacon off of the stove. She nodded, her messy locks swinging with the motion of her head, sitting down at the table right outside of the kitchen.

“Yep.” She responded, turning towards the TV as Percy offloaded fresh bacon and eggs onto her plate. He loaded up his own plate and started eating, watching his daughter for a moment. Serena’s face looked just like her mother’s in that one moment, looking at the TV and watching the news.

Elise Wynters, a young woman Percy had fallen in love with back in high school, and later married after graduation, had disappeared five years ago, without saying a word to either of them. The last words to either of them had been during their weekly movie night, where she told them both that she loved them. The very next morning, a single bag and a handful of items were missing. Not a single clue had been left as to where she could have gone. It was as if Elise had simply disappeared off of the face of the planet, and if it were not for the memories, he could almost believe she never existed at all. It was Serena that reminded those times were real, and that it was not a dream. Bedside Percy, his phone buzzed with the notification of a received text, startling him from his thoughts. ‘New case. Debrief in an hour.’ Percy turned to look at his daughter again.

“That’s good. Hey, listen…” Serena turned away from the weather, looking up at him. “New case just came up. I don't know how late I will be,"

"I got it. Go bring those murderers to justice." She told him with a smile. Percy grinned, kissing her on the head.

"You bet I will."

Minutes after they had finished eating, the two loaded up into Percy’s 1970 Chevrolet Camaro, painted blue after his favorite color, before leaving the front of the apartment complex and heading deeper into the city. Serena had grabbed her school bag just before they left, throwing it into the footwell of her seat.

"Hey, dad," Serena started, looking out the passenger window as the buildings rolled by.

"What is it?" The detective asked, glancing down at her for a moment. The car remained silent for several seconds, save for the hum of the engine, and the sounds of New York traffic outside.

"How come you were frowning at the eggs this morning?" She asked, turning to look at his face. Percy paused for a moment, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter.

"There was another incident with protesters this morning. A couple were killed. Sources are saying _the Olympians_ were behind it." Serena breathed in deeply. "You do remember why I tell you these things, right?" Percy asked softly.

"Because I asked you too?" He let out a soft chuckle.

"Well, that, and so you know what is going on around you. I can't keep you safe by keeping you from finding out what is going on in the world, but I can prepare you ahead of time if you know what is going on." Serena nodded, making a small 'o' with her mouth.

Pulling up before New York Goode High School, Serena grabbed her bag and jumped out, waving back to her father as she hurried up the front steps of the school doors, another teen girl joining her. "See you tonight, Dad!" Percy smiled back, before driving into the small chain of cars leading the way out. Not two minutes after he had pulled away from the school, his phone began ringing. The ID on the front read ‘G man’.

“Jackson,” The sea green eyed man spoke, after accepting the call.

“Yo, Perce. You see the news this morning?” The news reporter speaking about the shooting from the protest earlier that morning came to mind.

“Yeah, I did. Did they catch the guy yet?”

“No, unfortunately. They did get his description though. 5ft 4. Brown hair, brown eyes. Caucasian male. Has a small tattoo of a hammer and Anvil on the back of his left shoulder.” Came Grover Underwood’s reply. Percy cursed under his breath, gripping the steering wheel a little harder

“Damn. Definitely sounds like one of the Olympians. Intelligence have any clue why he did that yet? I mean, they didn’t actually get anything done, besides killing a couple of people.” Grover sighed through his end of the call, and went silent for a moment.

“No. They are still scratching their heads over the incident. No one knows why the Olympians would try such a risky thing out in the open like that.” Ahead of Percy’s car, traffic began to slow, flashing blue and red lights pulsing just beyond the front of the pile up.

“Ah, come on.” Percy muttered, noticing a group of police officers and police cruisers blocking an intersection up ahead. 

“What is it?” Grover asked, having still heard Percy's words.

“Blockade. Must be here looking for the guy.” Percy responded, glancing back with the intention of turning around, but another car blocked his way out. “Come on!” Grover let out a laugh. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh at my misfortune, you bastard.” He said with a smirk.

“Should I tell the chief you might be a few minutes late?” 

“With how slow things are going, I might be here all day.” Percy groaned. The car ahead of him inched forward, and Percy followed, glaring at the traffic mess, willing it to disappear.

“I’ll let him know for you.”

“Thanks, G man.” Half an hour later, Percy finally reached the blockade, the officer on watch putting his hand up in a stop motion. Percy raised his badge, showing himself to be a detective.

“My apologies, detective. Let him through!” The officer shouted to another, who drove their cruiser back. Nodding his thanks to the man, Percy continued forwards, seeing the 3rd precinct in the distance. A large towering building almost 40 floors tall, glass windows making up the building’s walls. Minutes later, he was parking in the car garage, locking his car with a single press of the ignition key device.

Inside the large entrance of the building, multiple police officers milled about, some escorting men and women to the holding cells on one side, as others worked at desks or spoke with others. In the center of the massive room was a smaller room surrounded by glass walls, the Police Chief’s office. Inside, he could see the blonde hair of his boss, Police Chief Luke Castellan, sitting at his desk, working on paperwork. Not too far away, he caught sight of his friend speaking to a young woman with a green shawl wrapped around her shoulders. He was clearly flirting with her, and after a quick glance, realized she was flirting back. Percy shook his head with a grin, before heading towards the central office.

All along his way, multiple officers raised their hands in greeting, waving at him as he walked past. Several even made small talk before heading on their ways. Some of the civilians even greeted the detective with 'hello's and 'morning's. Passing officer Grover, Percy patted the other man's shoulder, giving his oldest friend a grin. Grover smiled back, waving at him.

“Hey Percy!” A younger man greeted him with a smile. “How ya doing?” Connor Stoll, a relatively new officer to the force, walked up to Percy. The younger man's blue eyes sparkled with hidden mischief that Percy knew too well, knowing that somewhere in the Precinct, someone was about to get pranked.

“Hey Connor. I’m good, you?” The younger man grinned, only confirming his previous thoughts. He was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement.

“I’m great! I hear the boss has a new case for you.” Percy smirked, nodding his head. “You able to tell me anything?”

“Well, seeing as I am on my way to get debriefed, there is nothing I can tell you. Even if I could, cases are classified for a reason, Connor.” The other man smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Right."

"Stoll!" Shouted a voice from across the room. An officer who had sat down at his desk was rising from his seat, the front of his shirt covered in water. Connor grinned.

"And that's my que to leave. I'll see you around, Percy." Connor grinned, before hurrying off, turning around for a second to wave back at Percy.

"Ah, Mr. Jackson. About time you showed." A voice from behind him spoke up. Percy flinched, his grin becoming a more sheepish one.

"Sorry, sir. I got held up at-," Luke broke out in laughter.

"I'm messing with you, Percy. Grover already told me you got caught in the blockade traffic after dropping your daughter off. How is she, by the way?" The chief cut him off, grinning at Percy.

"She's doing good. She's actually been wondering when you were coming over again for dinner." Percy replied, smiling at his mentor and friend.

Luke laughed, laying a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Tell her I'll come by Friday evening. Oh, and that she better be prepared for monopoly. I've been practicing!" The two men chuckled, before Luke gestured for Percy to follow him. "All jokes aside, I called you in early because we got a dead body on 7th avenue, in the Charon Apartment complex. We've got a couple of officers already standing guard, they are just awaiting for your arrival." Luke explained, waving to the chair opposite his desk.

"No identity yet?" Percy asked, leaning forward, looking over the file Luke had thrown in front of him.

"We haven't had the time to check yet, what with last night's shooting, and the aftermath taking up too much of our resources, our officers are stretched thin. What we do know is that the body was found only hours after the shooting incident. It may be connected. See what you can find out. Dismissed." Percy nodded, closing the folder, before picking it up. "Oh," Luke continued as Percy rose from his seat. "If you find anything, make sure to bring it here to me first. What with the Olympian scare this morning, I want to make sure what gets released to the press is only what they need to know. If the Olympians really are a part of what happened, I don't want to make a bigger deal out of it if we don't have too."

"Sir, the body is just inside. No one has entered since the room was cleared." One of the officers standing guard reported. Percy nodded, before ducking into the apartment room. The small one room apartment itself was actually surprisingly clean for such a dirty apartment complex, the only mess being the body in the middle of the room. Slipping on a pair of gloves, Percy approached the body, raising a hand to his nose as the odor of the body got to him. The man was laying on his stomach, head turned away from where he had entered. One of his arms was beneath his midsection, laying on the appendage. Surrounding the body was a pretty sizable pool of blood, much too large for anything like a bullet wound. Behind him, a man stumbled in, before groaning loudly.

"Ahhh, crap. That smells." Percy laughed, still crouched by the body's side.

"Of course it does, Dakota. It's a dead body." The forensics scientist muttered under his breath, raising his camera as he began to take pictures of the scene. The occasional flash of a bright light lit up the room as Percy stood, letting Dakota do his job, and started inspecting the room. The counters were spotless, free of dirt and dust, as though someone had come through to do some cleaning. Save for a couple of stock photos in cheap looking frames, the shelves were empty. The bed sat off to one side, it's covers folded neatly on the mattress. The small bathroom off shoot was just as clean, not a speck of anything to be found. Back in the main room, one of the dining room chairs was knocked over, spilling over to where the body was nearby. Percy paused, crossing his arms as he looked around the room again with a sigh. Nothing. 

"Perce, you better get over here." Dakota gasped. Percy turned on his heel, seeing that Dakota had flipped the body over. The arm that had been underneath the dead man's stomach, was the source of the massive amounts of blood. Where his right hand should have been, there was only a bloody stump. Having already inspected the room, Percy knew there was nowhere the missing limb could be hiding. It was then that Percy got a look at the man's face. Brown eyes stared lifelessly into the air, glassed over and resembling dolls eyes. Glancing at the similarly colored brown hair, Percy's gut began to sink. 

"Flip him back over, and check his back." Dakota did as asked, used to Percy's strange orders, as more often than not, they produced results. There on the man's left shoulder, was indeed the hammer and anvil tattoo that he had been told about. "Shit." He muttered. His phone rang just seconds after.

"Percy, anything to report yet?" Luke's voice came.

"You can call off the search for your mystery shooter." He told him.

"What? Did you find him?"

"Yeah, I did. He's my dead body."

"Fuck." Was all Luke said.

"So, while the missing hand would be the obvious choice for how this man died, he died from asphyxiation, nearly thirty minutes after. The contusions all along his body suggest he was tortured before he was killed. Quite brutally too, if I might add." Dakota told Percy and Luke, who had shown up after the call.

"You mean, he was alive for thirty minutes, with an open wound and was tortured, before he was _choked_ to death?" Percy asked, his eyebrows raised. Dakota nodded, his usual cheery demeanor gone.

"You have got to be shitting me. How the hell did our shooter make it here, only to die like this?" All three went silent, pondering the question.

"What if he wasn't the shooter?" Percy spoke up, causing the other two to look at him. "Two others died during the shooting which we thought he was the cause of, but what if he was the target? What if those two who died were actually with him, and not civilians?" Luke's expression changed to realization, catching on to Percy's train of thought.

"You mean, what if he was carrying something someone else wanted, and the two others were his escort? That would explain the missing hand. Usually when this happens, it's because someone wants something bad enough, they don’t bother trying to pry it from the dead's hand. Though he had been alive when it happened, so I'm not one hundred percent sure about this."

"Next question then, still following your idea, what was he carrying?" The other two looked at Dakota. "If he was a courier, then he had to be carrying something, otherwise it would have been useless to go after him."

"Could be anything. A weapon, orders from a high up official, plans for an attack. The list goes on." Luke said, shaking his head. His phone began to ring.

"Chief Castellan," Luke answered. "Wait, now? Ah, shit. I'll be right there. Stall her." The other two looked at him as he hung up. "Reporter wants information about the shooting, apparently one of the officers went blabbing. I'll get the morgue to check the other two out, just to make absolutely sure they were civilians in the meantime. I'll see you two later." And with that, the blonde chief walked out of the door. 

"There isn't much more I can do here. I'll see you in the lab when you get back." Dakota spoke up, packing up his equipment. Percy nodded, before turning around to look at the room, not quite ready to head out just yet. He was alone yet again.

"What would a courier carry?" He asked himself. "Can't be a weapon, doesn't fit the context of the situation." He turned around, eyes sweeping around the room. "Orders, maybe, but that would be too risky for what this guy did." Percy frowned, before turning and walking out the door. "Have the body sent to the morgue, but keep the scene locked down. I am going to want to come back later." He told the officers.

"Yes, sir. Have a good day Detective."

On the drive back to the precinct, Percy's mind returned to the crime scene. The absolute cleanliness was a little unnerving. The only time that had ever occurred was when high valuable information was at play, where someone didn't want too much getting out. Whoever had the room cleaned was a professional. That alone was scary. It wasn't very often Percy was met with a case like this one. Resolving to think it over more when he got back to the station, Percy turned up the radio, listening to 'Fortunate Son', by Creedence Clearwater, tapping his fingers on the wheel to the beat, singing along. His phone rang, and he turned the radio down.

"Jackson." Percy answered.

"Hey, man." Came Grover's voice. "How's your case going?" He sighed, turning left at the intersection. "That well, huh?"

"Yep. The entire place had been cleaned and scrubbed. Whoever did this is a professional." Grover groaned at that.

"Great, just what we need after last night."

"Speaking of last night, the man they were searching for was my dead body."

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Behind Percy's car, a grey BMW pulled into his lane. "We are seriously having some bad luck aren't we? First the bomb that killed five at a small hotel earlier this week, then the shooting last night, now this?"

"I know, right?" Percy glanced behind him, turning at yet another intersection. The grey car stayed behind him, keeping pace. Not thinking much of it, as he was driving on a pretty active road connecting to multiple routes through the city, he kept driving. Turning right, he lost sight of the vehicle. "Luke is having the two victims of the shooting brought in to be inspected. I have a theory that they were actually acting as an escort. I don't believe the guy was the shooter, but a courier the shooter was trying to kill."

"Well, regardless of all this, I actually called to ask if you wanted to meet for breakfast tomorrow." Percy turned another corner, and glanced behind him before changing lanes. It was then he noticed the same grey BMW was still behind him, even after five different turns.

"I think I'm being followed." He spoke lowly over the phone.

"What? What makes you think that?" He asked, as Percy turned right, then right again. The car kept up, remaining right behind his.

"I just made a 'U' turn, and they are still behind me." Percy replied, glancing up at the rear view mirror. The windows of the other car were tinted enough to cover the identity of the driver, which only gave Percy an even worse feeling about the car.

“Do you need backup?” Percy looked in the rearview mirror again, and kept driving. 

“I might,” He started, before the car behind him pulled off of the road and into a small parking lot in front of a group of stores. “Nevermind. The car pulled into a parking lot.”

“You sure they were following you?” Grover asked cautiously.

“Grover, I drove in circles, past the stores several times before they stopped. That was not random.” The other man sighed.

“Did you catch the license plate?” Percy pulled back around, and drove past the store front. But when he arrived, the grey car was nowhere to be seen.

“No, and they vanished.” He gripped the wheel tighter. If it had been the person who had the apartment room cleaned, then he had been followed for a reason. Possibly to scare him off of the case. “I’m heading back, log the incident in the system for me, would you? Grey BMW, looked like a 2010 model, the windows were tinted though, so I don’t know how many people were inside, let alone the face of who was driving. Thanks.” Grover told him he was on it, and the call ended. The rest of the ride was spent with Percy gripping the wheel tightly, eyes checking his rearview mirror every now and then.

Arriving at the precinct, he turned the car off, and headed on inside. Seconds after walking through the front door, he was immediately greeted with the chief, who waved him over to the man’s desk. “Hey, just got the results on the two dead. You were right. They both had tattoos the Olympians carry. One had a symbol of a sword, and the other a bow. They were agents of the Olympians.” Luke sat down heavily behind his desk, leaning back. 

“I wish I was wrong.” Percy spoke up, “This whole thing just became a lot bigger. We already have enough issues with the Olympians. Having someone else fighting them just gives us a whole new set of problems.” Luke hummed in agreement, shaking his head.

“See if Dakota found anything new on the dead body. Hopefully we can get some kind of identification.” Percy nodded, rising from his seat. “I just wish the Olympians would give up. Too many people have died from their actions.” Luke muttered to himself, grabbing another case file from the shelf beside him. Closing the door behind him, Percy headed for the lab, a room offshoot from the main entrance, where several lab stations sat. 

Inside, Dakota was working on a sample under the lens of his microscope, humming to himself as a song played in the background. Something from the Beatles, if Percy was not mistaken. Percy cleared his throat, grabbing the other man’s attention.

“Got anything new for me?” He asked. Dakota rose from his seat, shaking his head.

“Nothing. It was as if the murder had happened by itself. I looked for any fingerprints to tell us who did this, but I found nothing.” Percy frowned.

“Nothing as in no one touched him?” Dakota shook his head.

“Nothing, as in the dead man’s fingerprints never existed. Dental records came up blank as well. We never saw him before, and apparently neither did the rest of the world because facial recognition failed to identify him. For what it’s worth, your dead body was a ghost.” Percy’s eyes widened.

“Wha… how is that even possible?!” Dakota shrugged, turning back to the photos he had printed and stuck to his station.

“No idea. It was as if he never even existed before yesterday.” Percy looked at the photos of the dead man, at a loss for words. The pit in his stomach grew. First the shooting, then the guy the police was searching for came up dead. The body, as well as the two others, were all identified as agents of the Olympians, but as for actual identification, the dead man had none. Then he remembered the car that had followed him. Things were getting worse at an alarming rate.

“Did you get any word about the other two who were killed?” Percy asked, glancing up at the man. Dakota nodded his head.

“I did, but you are not going to like the results.” Percy leaned against the counter. “Same thing as this guy. Ghosts.” Dakota pointed to the photos.

“Shit.” Dakota looked up at him.

“No kidding.”

Later that evening, Percy arrived home, finding Serena watching TV as she completed her homework. “Hey dad. How did work go?” She asked, looking up from the paper. Percy sighed, slipping off his jacket. “Not well, I take it?” He shook his head.

“The case just isn’t making any sense, I guess.” She nodded her head, pausing the TV. Noticing her expression, he elaborated, “I can’t say much, as it is an ongoing investigation. The man was a messenger, but I couldn’t find a clue about what happened, because the room had been cleaned.” She looked away, her eyes narrowed in concentration.

“If he was a messenger, then he would have left the message somewhere for his people to find, right? Especially if he had very limited time to hide it.” He nodded.

“I know, but with the place cleaned out, there was nothing there.” 

“What if he wrote it down?” She asked, turning towards her father.

“What, like a secret message? The walls were clean, and the counters and shelves had been dusted.” Percy spoke, his eyes closed as he remembered the scene.

“Was there a mirror?” She asked, eyes lighting up. Percy nodded, eyebrows furrowing. “Did you look at the mirror?” He smiled at her exuberance.

“I did, but nothing was there.” She shook her head.

“No, did you really look at it?” Seeing her father’s expression, she continued. “If the guy was really trying to hide his message, he would make it as hard as possible to find, but real easy to overlook. You can leave secret messages on mirrors by writing on it with a little bit of alcohol. The result is a secret message that can only be seen after the mirror has fogged up.” The way she explained it, reminded him of her mother, and he smiled. 

“You are so much like your mother sometimes.” He said softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I miss her.”

“I miss her too, dad.” She responded, leaning into his touch.

“Remember our weekly movie nights?” She grinned softly.

“Yeah, those were always my favorite. Good times.”

“Yeah they were. Oh, speaking of Friday nights, Luke said he can drop by on Friday evening. He says you better be prepared for a rematch.” Serena smirked, and once again, Percy was reminded of his wife.

“Tell him to bring it on.” Percy grinned, kissing her head. Silence resumed between the two once more.

“I’ll look at the mirror tomorrow like you suggested. Thanks for the help.” She grinned, before returning to her work. That night, Percy dreamed of a time when the three had been still together, remembering the honey-blonde curls of his wife’s hair, and the storm grey color of her eyes.

The next morning, Percy woke with a smile on his face. His wife’s face burned into his memory. He showered quickly and dressed, grabbing his personal effects as he left the room.

Minutes after, he was pouring pancake batter onto the pan, preparing breakfast with a little more spring in his step, much more refreshed than he had been. Percy hummed along to a song playing on the radio, grinning as he worked. That was how his daughter found him.

“I see you slept good last night.” She laughed, walking to the table. Percy grinned.

“I just had a good dream. What about you?” She smiled, sitting at the table.

“Great. I dreamt about mom.” She replied, watching her father’s happy expression with a smile of her own. “Hey, so my teacher just gave us a partner project due in a week, and I wanted to head over to my friend’s this evening to get some work done. Would that be alright?” Percy chuckled, nodding his head.

“So much like your mother, it amazes me sometimes. She was always completing work way ahead of when it was due.”

“And you didn’t?” Percy ducked his head with a sheepish look. 

“I was more of the wait-until-the-last-moment, kind of guy.” Serena laughed, shaking her head. He set a couple of fresh pancakes onto her plate, watching her drown her pancakes in syrup. “You definitely take after me with pancakes.” She smiled.

“Is there any better way to have pancakes?” Percy smirked.

“Blue pancakes drowned in syrup.”

“Oh, right. Can’t believe I forgot about that.” 

The two ate quickly, before heading out to the car. Percy, stepping into the driver’s seat, glanced up the street, and saw a grey BMW parked not too far away. The windows were tinted, just like last time, and he knew no one in the apartment complex had such a car. His blood went cold. “Serena, get in the car.” He commanded, his eyes not leaving the grey vehicle. She had been busy texting a friend of hers, telling them the two were on their way, when Percy spoke. Recognizing the tone as the one Percy only used when he believed her to be in danger, jumped into action, climbing into the passenger seat as quickly as she could, throwing her bag into the footwell.

Percy, grabbing his sidearm from it’s holster, closed the door and locked it, approaching the vehicle with caution. Before he could get any closer, however, the car’s engine roared to life, driving down the street away from him and his daughter. Before the vehicle did, however, he saw the front license plate. HT5TF1. With a grim expression, Percy hurried back to the car.

“What is it, dad?” Serena asked, watching him with concern.

“Nothing, I just thought I saw something… “ Seeing her expression, he sighed. “Fine, I was followed by that car yesterday. I have a feeling it’s connected to my case.” She nodded, looking away.

“Remember why you tell me those things?” She asked.

“To keep you safe, I know. It’s just my instinct as your father to keep you safe. Sorry.” She smiled at him, swatting his arm.

“Just making sure you remember. And I get it. Having someone follow you, especially if it’s connected to the case, can be scary. But at least I know now to look out for the car and tell you if I see it.” Percy smiled, before starting the car.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She told him with a wave, heading up the steps as her friend joined her.

“I hold you to it.” He responded, smiling. After she had gone through the doors, he pulled away, driving towards the crime scene from yesterday.

Arriving on scene, he greeted the two men sitting outside, talking to one another. “Morning Detective.” One of them said. Entering the door, nothing had changed save for the body, which had been moved on his orders. Percy headed straight for the bathroom mirror, and looked at it. Just like the rest of the room, it was clean. Close up, however, he could faintly smell alcohol, though the entire apartment reeked of it, so he didn’t give it much thought before. ‘ _You can leave secret messages on mirrors by writing on it with a little bit of alcohol. The result is a secret message that can only be seen after the mirror has fogged up._ ’ His daughter’s words came to the forefront of his mind. Leaning in, he breathed on the mirror in a small area, fogging a small portion up. 

Just when he thought nothing would be there, a curved line appeared, stretching across the small expanse he had fogged up. Instead of continuing, He swiveled around, and eyed the shower head. Closing the door to the bathroom, he turned the shower on to it’s hottest setting, and let the fog build up for a moment. Turning around, the mirror was completely fogged up. And words were revealed.

‘ _Drive hidden in Alley. Too risky to keep._ ’

Percy let out a small laugh, grinning at his find. “Thanks Serena.” Turning the shower off, he left the room, and headed for the ground floor, bidding the officers goodbye as he passed. 

The alley way was filled with garbage and all manners of broken bottles. One puddle on the ground even suspiciously reeked of urine, so he made a wide arch around it. Reaching for the nearest bag on top of the cans, he lifted it, but found nothing. He checked the next one in the line, but got the same result. Stepping back, he crossed his arms, and swept his surroundings with his eyes. 

‘Nothing is ever obvious with the Olympians.’ He thought. Going through the details, he thought back to what the message meant. The man had hidden the drive in an alley, but not necessarily this one. Percy remembered the images the reporter had shown of the shooting from a couple of days ago. His eyes shot wide as he remembered seeing an alley in the footage. Right next to where the protesters had been. Percy turned on his heel and made his way back to his car.

The drive to the scene of the shooting was surprisingly fast, as traffic was rather light heading towards the scene. Less than an hour after he had found the hidden message, he was in the alleyway, looking at a near carbon copy of the last alley. Resuming his search, he lifted the top and second top bags from each can, looking for anything resembling a thumb drive. Finding nothing, he stepped back. ‘Wait,’ he thought, ‘The message said drive. Not thumb drive.’ Checking the cans again, he found a small black object in one of the cans, almost camouflaged with the black bags underneath. Finding a port on the side for a USB cord, he grinned.

A couple of hours later, he arrived at the precinct, and sat down in front of his computer. Finding a small cord to connect the drive, he plugged it in. A new file popped up seconds later named Project Phoenix. Percy double clicked on the icon, and opened the file. Instantly, a page opened up, displaying schematics for some sort of futuristic looking armor, almost like it was straight out of a science fiction movie or game. Percy stared for a moment, unable to believe what he was seeing. Seconds after he had opened the file, a new one opened, this one hidden within the first. It was a text file, a message for whoever was supposed to find the file.

‘Find the son of Poseidon. Bring him to Olympus. He shall guide the way.’ 

Then just like that, both files were erased from his computer, as though they had never existed. At a loss as to what had just happened, Percy sat back in his seat. The words of the text file ringing in his mind. Who was Poseidon? And more importantly, why were they so desperate to find his son? He tapped his fingers to his desk, before disconnecting the drive. Reconnecting it had no effect. It was empty. He picked up the drive, looking at it. A bad feeling was forming in the pit of his stomach. Luke’s words returned to him. ‘ _If you find anything, make sure to bring it here to me first. What with the Olympian scare this morning, I want to make sure what gets released to the press is only what they need to know. If the Olympians really are a part of what happened, I don't want to make a bigger deal out of it if we don't have too._ ’

Luke always went by protocol, and protocol stated whatever he found be turned into evidence for safe keeping. Why was he breaking it now? And, now that he was thinking about it, why had he specifically asked him to bring him anything, assuming that there would be something to find? Glancing at the chief’s office where Luke sat on his phone, talking to someone, he looked back at the drive.

Percy rose from his desk, holding it in his hand, and walked towards the office. 

Luke looked up at him as he entered, ending the call. “Yeah, I’ll make sure it gets done.” He turned to the Detective. “What can I do for you, Detective?” Percy raised his hand, showing the drive.

“Found a hidden message on the mirror, led me to the alleyway right next to the location of the shooting a couple of days ago, and found this.” Percy told him, handing it over. “I know you said you didn’t want to cause a bigger problem, but protocol dictates that all pieces of evidence get put in the evidence for safe storage. Why break protocol now?” Percy asked, his eyebrows furrowed. Luke looked up at him.

“Huh? Oh, after the officer blabbed to the reporter, I don’t want to take any chances of this getting into the wrong hands. Did you check it for anything yet?” Luke asked. His word choice made Percy pause. ‘ _I don’t want to take any chances of this getting into the wrong hands._ ’

“I did, but the drive was empty. I don’t even know if this was a part of what happened, or something completely different. For all I know, I could have found it by chance. The message did say the missing piece we were looking for was a drive though.” Luke frowned, looking down at the drive in his hands.

“I’ll have our lab techs see if any files were wiped.” Percy nodded, though deep down he knew the techs would not find anything. He walked out of the office when he was dismissed, walking past his desk. A quick glance at the time told him that four hours had passed. Much less than it had felt. 

Deciding he felt hungry, Percy left the precinct, heading for a nearby cafe, where he ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, his mind still on Luke’s words. Luke had asked him to bring whatever he had found to Luke, and then said he didn’t want the drive getting into the wrong hands, as though he knew it existed in the first place. Of course, he could be paranoid, but after that car had been parked not too far away from his own home, Percy felt like keeping his cards a little closer to his chest. He looked at the time, and realized he had spent an hour contemplating. 

Paying for his drink, he returned to his car, and sat there for a minute, before turning the key in the ignition. The car roared to life, and he pulled out of the parking lot. Pulling out his phone in front of the parking lot exit, he shot off a quick text, before taking off onto the main road. He drove to Central Park, finding a bench overlooking the lake as soon as he arrived.

Minutes after he had arrived, a person sat down beside him, her comforting warmth surrounding him.

“Hey, mom.” The woman’s sparkling blue eyes looked at him, her normally warm smile gone.

Sally Jackson looked at her son, her eyes filled with concern. Percy had been hunched over, his elbows on his knees. His expression, a haunted one. The same one he had worn when Elise had disappeared. “My case.” He told her. Percy started speaking about everything he knew, leaving out small facts that would worry his mom too much, like Luke’s words. When he got to the part about being followed, she inhaled deeply. Percy’s scar ached with a familiarity.

“Percy, be careful. Please. The last time this happened-.” Percy looked up at his mother.

“I know, mom. Now that I have Serena, I am not going to risk myself like last time. I don’t want to leave her without any parents.” Sally laughed gently.

“I know you are going to do your best, but don’t forget. I’m still around. I have already come to terms with your job being so dangerous, but even if you… she won’t be alone.” Percy smiled at her. Wrapping his arm around her, he kissed his mother on the cheek.

“Thanks, mom.” He whispered.

“Anytime.” She whispered back. The two looked out over the lake, side by side, silence taking over.

An hour later, Percy rose from the bench, saying he had to get home. The clock read 5 PM, and it had started to show. The normal blue that took up the sky was now tinged with yellow and orange, On the drive back to his apartment, his phone pinged with a text. Stopping at a red light, he glanced down at his phone. "Hey dad, I’m over at Autumn’s place already. I’ll see you tomorrow. Go save the day for me!” Serena's last text put a smile on Percy's face, his daughter's unwavering support making up for the hole that had been left by Elise's disappearance. 

Almost an hour later, he was pulling up to the curb of his apartment complex. Having gotten food from a McDonald's on the way home, he tossed his diner trash into the can outside, stuffing the wrapper and drink into the bag he had gotten with the meal. He unlocked his front door and stepped inside. The lights were off, and the room was silent. Percy sighed, slipping off his jacket as he moved forward into the room. Placing his jacket on the wall hook, he glanced out the still open door, and froze where he stood. Sitting right behind his car, was a grey BMW, license plate reading HT5TF1.

The lamp sitting on a small table next to the sofa flicked on.

Percy’s hand slowly drifted to the firearm at his side, his breath shallow as his pulse raced. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A male voice spoke from behind him. The man sounded younger than Percy by a few years. Turning around slowly, Percy found five people in his living room. Two of which, had sidearms of their own pointed straight at him. Percy let his hand drop slowly.

A man to his right, blonde hair and blue eyes glared at him. Percy subconsciously thought he looked like a blonde Clarke Kent. He had a small scar on his lower lip, his hair cut short military style. The man wore some kind of leather jacket over a grey t-shirt and jeans, a pair of black combat boots complementing the style. He was one of the two holding a weapon pointed at him, and held his weapon with precision, just like a military officer would. 

The woman next to him wore something similar, though she had a small feather in her hair. Her skin was darker, not quite African, but more native American Indian. Her kaleidoscope eyes looked at him with distrust. In one of her hands, she held a small bronze knife, though the weapon was still at her side and not raised like the first man’s.

On the other side of the room, a woman who looked older than him by a few years held the other firearm, her spiky black hair jetting up in every direction, sort of like a hairstyle a young rock band would adopt. Her eyes were the same shade of electric blue as the blonde man. She wore a leather jacket and jeans, matching the theme the first two had going, but wore a t-shirt with ‘Death To Barbie’ featuring an image of a barbie doll having an arrow through its head. She also wore small skull earrings, completing the look.

A second man, looking to be in his late 40’s sat on the sofa, reclining back. While his hair was thinning, his eyebrows were bushy and his beard scruffy. The man had intense brown eyes, as though they had seen a thousand years. He was without a weapon, though the way he acted, he knew the two holding the pistols would protect him before anything could happen.

The fifth person in the room, standing behind the sofa, was what shocked him the most. A pair of storm grey eyes stared back, her normally calculating gaze filled with sadness.

Elise Wynters gazed back at him, looking just like she had when she vanished five years ago. Her curly honey-blonde hair, just like a princess’, her body slim and athletic, looking every bit the part of a typical California girl, her eyes ruining the image. She wore the matching leather jacket, shirt and jeans. She too held no weapon, standing there just looking at him. 

“Elise?” Percy’s voice quaked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took Drepani from the google translate word for Scythe in Greek, using the word found underneath rather than the actual Greek word itself.


	2. Chapter Two - A Horrible Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,  
> Got some free time today because my professor has yet to make comments on my essay, so i was able to finish this.  
> Hope you enjoy,  
> thank you.

### Chapter Two

#### A Horrible Truth

_”Elise?” Percy’s voice quaked._

The room remained silent, even after Percy had spoken her name. The woman in question flinched at the word. After the blonde man closed the door, no one moved. It was almost as if the five of them had been turned to statues, and if it were not for the quiet breathing, he would have almost believed it. As it was, he was too focused on his wife’s sudden appearance.

“Why?” Such a heavy word to ask immediately after, but it was all Percy could think to say, the only question on his mind. She remained silent, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to formulate a response.

“I… “ She seemed at a loss for words as well, and tried again. “You couldn’t… “

The man sitting on the sofa sat up, before she could properly respond. “I must apologize for this, but we don’t have time for a reunion right now.” Elise took a step back, looking away. “You have something of ours. I ask that you return it immediately.” Percy turned his gaze to the man, staring at him hard. 

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Percy responded, his face hardening as he glared at the man. The older man sighed, shaking his head lightly. Elise looked up at Percy, the mere look of her tear filled eyes bringing pain to his heart. Ever since they had met, he couldn’t bear to see her cry.

“The drive you found, Perseus.” Percy took a step back himself. He never told anyone his full name. Only a handful of people who knew were Elise, Luke, Grover, his mother, and Serena. Though The Council most likely knew as well through Luke reporting to them.

“How the hell do you know-.” Percy started, narrowing his eyes at the man, before glancing back at the blonde woman, unable to look away for long. It had been five years since he had last seen her, after all. The sight of her breathing was far better than the nightmares he had imagined her going through when she had left.

“We know a lot of things, Perseus. Now, please. The drive.” Percy let out a chuckle, smiling humorlessly. He turned away, 

“And why should I give you the drive?” Blonde superman glared harder, lifting the weapon to point at Percy’s head.

“Just do as you are told.” Percy glared back, clenching his hands. If there was one thing Percy was good at, it was not doing what he was told. His rebellious nature made him less inclined to follow orders and think for himself before acting in a situation.

“You’re too late. I already handed the damn thing in.” The dark skinned woman let out a curse, turning away from him as she rolled her eyes. The blonde man didn't stop glaring even when he lowered his firearm. At the same time he did, Elise let out a sigh, causing Percy to realist she had been holding her breath, not knowing if the man would shoot him.

“I knew this would happen.” She muttered, causing the older man to look at her. She sighed, but said nothing else.

“Why the fucking hell would you fucking hand that thing in?!” The rock star lookalike exclaimed. “Do you have any idea what was on the fucking drive?!” The man in the middle of the group winced at the volume, as did the others. She shook her head, before turning to Elise. “Great fucking job!” She glared. Elise matched her glare with one of her own, one Percy knew by heart. It had been one he had seen rarely, but he still remembered it. The two women glared for a minute, before the rock star turned away, another ‘fucking’ coming out of her mouth, along with several others, but they were to quiet to hear.

Percy then looked away, remembering what the file had said. “You do know what’s on there, don’t you?” The leader of the group asked, catching the attention of the others, They all turned towards the detective, some with harsh glares, others with speculating stares. Elise just looked at him, pleading with him to answer.

“There were two files.” Percy answered, not seeing a reason to lie. “I found the damn thing in the alley near the shooting that happened. After that, I returned to the Precinct and hooked it up to my computer.” The man frowned.

“Were?” Percy nodded. At this, everyone in the room seemed to collectively relax a little.

“Yeah. Were. The drive wiped itself seconds after I opened the drive.” The black haired woman let out a string of curses, rubbing her head. The dark skinned woman turned away, letting out an exasperated sigh, as the blonde haired man let out a short agitated grunt, holstering his weapon. Elise took a step forward, however, reaching out as if to touch Percy from across the room, but thought better of it as she lowered her raised hand.

“You saw the files?” Her voice brought back so many memories. It was just how he remembered. All he could do was nod, too overcome with emotion. “Do you remember what was on them?” There was a hope in her eyes that brightened at his gesture. “Please. We need to know. Too many friends died trying to get us that message.” She pleaded, taking another step forward.

Unable to say no to her pleading face, he complied with a defeated sigh. “The first file was some sort of schematic. For a suit of armor. The second file was a message. Looked like it had been added afterwards.” He held the five of their gazes with rapt attention as they listened to him. “”Find the son of Poseidon. Bring him to Olympus. He shall guide the way.”” Percy recited from memory. “I have no idea what any of it means however.” Elise nodded her head, looking away from him. The others turned towards her, silently asking if she knew what that meant.

“I have an idea of what it means. And if I am right, then we are all in danger.” She stated to the others in the room. The man on the sofa nodded.

“Let’s get moving, then.” The five of them started to move, heading for the door, not one of them sparing Percy another glance. Elise looked at him from the corner of her eye, a lone tear rolling down her cheek.

“Whoa, hold on. Where are you going?” Percy asked, holding a hand up. “You just came back, and now you’re going to leave again?!” Elise turned fully towards Percy and smiled sadly at him. She shook her head, and gestured out the front door, where the other four had gone.

“I’m truly sorry Percy, but these people need me.” Percy’s jaw dropped.

“And Serena doesn’t?!” _I don’t?_ went unasked. She winced, more tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. The expression on her face broke Percy’s heart, causing him to feel guilt from making her feel that way. A small part of him argued she deserved it, that she had been the one to suddenly leave and not say a word, but the larger part told him that had been uncalled for. He agreed with that part, his expression filled with remorse.

“Percy, you can’t tell her I was ever here. For her safety, she cannot ever know.” Percy’s body went numb. Wetness crossed his cheeks, and he belatedly realized he was crying. With one last tear filled smile, Elise followed the others out the door, where they climbed into the grey vehicle. The car took off, driving out of sight. For what felt like hours, Percy just stood there, tears rolling down his cheeks, mouth agape after seeing his wife for the first time in five years. A war broke out in his mind over whether he would tell anyone they had been there, but in the end, the side that chose Elise won over, deciding that telling the police would only end up getting her killed, and that would be on his hands. Something he could never deal with.

Later that night, he went to bed, staring up at the ceiling above. Elise’s words replayed in his mind like a broken record, an oath he knew he would never break.

“You look like absolute shit.” Grover unhelpfully stated, sitting in a chair beside Percy’s desk. The detective was going over the police reports of the shooting, looking for anything that would help him in his case when his friend stopped by.

“Thanks.” Percy said in a deadpan voice, staring at his computers as he continued to read reports.

“Want to tell me what happened?” Grover asked, looking at his face with concern. Percy sighed, and weighed the pros and cons of telling the truth or lying in his head.

‘ _I found my wife at home with four other people, all of whom were after the drive I found yesterday. She is apparently a part of the Olympian terrorist group, oh, and she said that our daughter can never know that her mother was there last night._ ’ Percy thought to himself, before saying instead, “Just had a bad night. I’ll be fine.” The other man nodded, seemingly content with his answer. 

From behind the two of them, someone cleared their throat. Turning towards the sound, Percy found the Chief looking at him. “Detective, I am pulling you off the Courier case.” Percy opened his mouth to interject, but was silenced when Luke held his hand up. “I know, but I am pulling you because we had another murder last night. I have a feeling this case won’t be going anywhere soon, so I need you working this case in the meantime. Dakota will meet you there as soon as he can. I’ll forward the details we know to you in the meantime.” Percy closed his mouth and nodded. Luke turned to walk away, when he looked back. “Perce, you alright? You look like shit.”

Percy let out a chuckle as he shook his head. “So I’ve been told.”

“Any ID yet?” Percy asked the forensics scientist. The room they were standing in was a small apartment room, a small bed and kitchen almost strikingly familiar to the apartment from the last case. The only difference between the two however, was this room was decorated with small knick knacks that looked decades old, and pictures of several women. Based on the man’s face, one of them was his mother or sister. The body on the floor had a gaping dent in his head, as though someone had bashed it in with a baseball bat.

“Ian McGreggor. 24. He was an employee at the gas station not too far away from here. Time of death puts the murder at around 1 AM last night.” Dakota answered from beside the body, taking pictures of where the body was found. “As for the murder weapon, something big and blunt. Maybe a baseball bat, or a decently sized weight. Anything with a bit of force behind it really could have done this.” Percy nodded, looking around the setup of the room, eyes searching for anything that would match the description. “Hey, you look like-.”

“I look like shit. Yes, I realize that. Now can we get back to the case?” Percy asked as Dakota leaned back for a second to look at him.

“No, seriously, Percy. You look like you need a break.” A look crossed over Dakota’s face. “It’s about her, isn’t it?” Percy turned to him, knowing who the man was talking about.

“You have no idea.” He muttered, before looking away, The memories of the previous night were still too fresh in his mind to deal with, and he wasn’t planning on dealing with them just yet. The case was actually a blessing in disguise, giving Percy something to focus on that wasn’t Elise’s sudden return.

“It’s been five years, Perce. You need to let her go.” Percy closed his eyes, fighting back the wave of emotion that hit him as he remembered the previous night like a broken record. Well, there goes that plan.

“I can’t. I just can’t.” He finally said. “I love her too much, and I promised Serena I would keep looking for her. No matter what.” Dakota sighed, before turning back to the body. “And I am not going to break my promise to her.” That last sentence had been whispered to himself, a silent oath that he would never give up.

“Alright. But you can’t take the weight of the world on your shoulders forever. Eventually, it will break you.” Atlas took on the weight of the world, and he survived, yet again, Percy wasn’t some sort of immortal, infinite strength, titan of legend. He knew Dakota was right, but didn’t want to force the problems that weighed him down, on anyone else. They were his burdens to bear, and bear them he would.

“Let’s just get back to the task at hand.” Percy stated. “What about the person who found him?” Dakota pointed to the entrance of the apartment, where a young woman stood talking with the two police officers on site. From her posture, she had been crying, and hard at that too.

Approaching the trio, he noticed she had been crying, her tear tracks still visible on her face. “Hello, ma’am. I am Detective Percy Jackson. I’m told you were the one who found the body?” She nodded, crossing her arms over herself.

“Ian. I found him only an hour ago. He was supposed to meet me for breakfast, but when he never showed, I got worried. I drove to his place after calling several times, but he never answered.” Percy nodded, studying her face.

“And you are?” Percy asked kindly, 

“Heather. I’m his-was his girlfriend. We broke up only a couple of days ago, and decided to stay friends.” Percy’s eyes narrowed. Usually when a murder happened a few days after a breakup, 

“Who suggested the break up?” The woman’s eyes widened, and she shook her head.

“It’s nothing like that, detective. We just decided that our relationship was not what it used to be. We were still best friends, we still loved each other. I would never harm him!” Percy nodded.

“And what about Ian? Any negativity to the breakup?” She shook her head again.

“No. He was an absolute gentleman the entire time. Even during the breakup, he was trying his best not to hurt me. I don’t know anyone who would ever want to hurt him.” The detective frowned. ‘Great.’ Percy thought. ‘One of those cases.’ Every now and then, there would be a case where an innocent person had been killed, for any reason; they resembled the person they were trying to kill, or they had been in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Still, it was best not to think single mindedly on cases like these.

“Did he have a drug problem? Perhaps not recently, but at some point in his past?”

“Not that I was aware of. He always detested the use of drugs. His mother was an addict, and that made him stay sober for the rest of his life.” He nodded, thinking things through.

“What about money problems? I do not mean to belittle him, but someone working at a gas station does not earn that much.” Once again, the woman shook her head.

“We always had enough to get by when we were together, and he said he was making enough to get by on his own. He never lied to me before, so I believed him.” Percy nodded, thanking the woman for her time.

“If I have any more questions I’ll have you come to the Precinct. If you remember anything else you know that might help, please do not hesitate to call.” He told her, handing the woman a card with his number on it.

“Thank you detective. Ian didn’t deserve this. Please, find out who did this.” With a final nod, Percy turned and walked back to the scene.

Percy walked through the door, and found Dakota standing and talking to another officer. “Ah, detective. Welcome back. We just found the kid’s boss’ name. Boris Antonov. Did a background check on him. You’re never going to guess.” The forensics scientist reported as he noticed the detective’s entrance.

“Ex-Russian mob?” Percy asked, raising an eyebrow while Dakota stuttered

“Y-yep. How did you… From before the Republic Peace was signed.” He shook his head, and continued. “Apparently, he turned his life around, big time.” Percy nodded his head.

“Do we know where he is?”

“He should be at the gas station now, it’s just a couple of blocks away.” Percy let out a huff, and thanked him. Walking out the door, he turned to look at the kid laying on the ground, sadness taking residence in his chest. ‘I’ll figure out who did this to you, kid.’

“Boris?” Percy asked as he walked through the station’s front door. An older man with graying hair and a well built physique looked up.

“Yes?” The man asked with a smile. His voice had a light Russian accent, nothing like how some TV shows paint Ex-Russian mob members. The uniform he wore was a pale blue, matching the gas station’s color scheme. “What can I do for you, sir?”

Raising his badge, he approached the counter. “Ian McGreggory was found dead this morning.” Boris Antonov’s smile faded, shock and sadness taking over. Looking closely, the expression was as genuine as Percy had ever seen, though, as he reminded himself, Boris had been ex-Russian mob, and could just be putting on a face.

“Ian’s dead?” The man shook his head, letting out several Russian curses. “Who would dare harm the boy?” Percy was taken aback by how genuinely sad and angry the man was, having not expected for the man to get so passionate. Looking up at the detective, Boris let out a single huffing laugh. “Does my attitude surprise you, detective?” Percy mentally shook his head, reminding himself that the man had been a part of the Russian mob. As though reading Percy’s mind, Boris continued. “I may be ex-Russian mob, but I left because I couldn't take the killing of those who didn’t deserve to die. Ian did _not_ deserve to die. Come, we can talk in the back.” Percy nodded, following the man into the back room.

“You don’t mind me asking where you were at 1 AM last night then, do you?” Percy asked. Boris nodded his head.

“I was out drinking with buddies of mine. Ian had said he was going to hold the fort for a little longer while he waited for the early morning shirt to arrive and head home.” Percy looked around the office. The room was very empty, save for a computer, a desk, and a chair, the rest of the shelves had nothing on them. Very spartan compared to Ian’s apartment.

“What was Ian’s pay?” Boris laughed, a hearty and joy filled one that spoke of remembering fond memories.

“It should have been a max of $11 an hour, but I always paid the kid more. He was such a great employee of mine. Always spoke to the customers with kindness even if they were shouting curses at him. He always did as he was asked without complaint as well. He definitely deserved the extra pay.” Boris stated, with a nod to himself, sitting behind his desk.

“Were there any customers who had a grudge?” Boris shook his head.

“No, but if there were, he never said. He usually kept to himself about personal things. Always took on others’ problems instead of asking for help about his own.” The man sighed. “Of all people, why did he have to die?” Percy caught the man muttering.

“I’m sorry, what?” Boris looked up from where he had turned away, tears visible in his eyes.

“I have done many horrible things in my life, and yet here I am today, working at a gas station, alive. Ian was just living his life, being kind to those around him. Why did it have to be the kid who died?” Tears had started to fall from the man’s eyes. Something in Percy’s chest hurt for the man, despite every warning that this man could be faking it, and told him that the man’s pain and tears were genuine.

“Thank you for your time. If you remember anything, please call. If I have any more questions for you, I’ll have you come to the precinct.” Percy said, watching the man as he quietly cried. Boris looked up at the detective, a fire in his eyes.

“Just promise me you will find the bastard who did it. Promise me you will bring him to justice.” 

As he was walking back to the car, his phone rang, stirring the detective from his thoughts.

“Jackson,”

“We just found his phone, you are going to want to see this.” Dakota notified him.

“On my way.”

Arriving back on scene, Dakota hurried up to the driver’s side of Percy’s car. The phone he held was an older iPhone model, the case looking banged up. Climbing out, he took the device the other man offered him. The background showed the same woman who looked like the victim’s twin stood next to him, her arm over his shoulders.

“Apparently she was his sister.” Percy paused.

“...Was?” Dakota nodded.

“She died several years ago. She had been murdered, but the police were not able to figure out who did it.” Percy opened Ian’s messages and emails, looking for anything that would give a clue what happened. Several messages from Heather had gone unanswered at 8 AM, followed by a couple of missed calls from the same number. Percy frowned. The last text conversation Ian had made no sense.

 **IAN 12:34** ‘I am on my way home now.’

 **HEATHER 12:34** ’Hey, why text back so late?’

 **IAN 12:35** ‘Sorry I texted later than usual. I saw two men talking to one another in the alley I normally walk through to get home. They both saw me and shut up, so I doubt it was anything good, but, I saw one of the men’s faces, Heather. I thought I saw Alex’s murder, and he was staring back at me.’

 **HEATHER 12:35** ’Are you sure? Are you okay?’

 **IAN 12:35** ’Yeah. He didn’t follow me.’

 **IAN 12:37** ’I’m going back. If it really is him, I have to try and record whatever he is doing, because it certainly is not legal. I have to try, for Alex.’

 **HEATHER 12:38** ’No! You could get hurt! Especially if it is him! He has too many friends in high places! Would she really want you to get hurt over something like this?!’

 **HEATHER 12:38** ’Ian?’

 **IAN 12:40** ’Okay. I won’t. I promise.’

 **HEATHER 12:40** ’Okay, good. We can talk about this over breakfast tomorrow. Promise?’

 **IAN 12:41** ’Yeah, okay. I’ll meet you at our usual place at 8.’

 **IAN 12:52** ’I love you.’

That had been the last message he had sent. Percy remembered what Dakota had said the time of death was. ‘ _Time of death puts the murder at around 1 AM last night._ ’

Eight minutes before he died.

Percy looked up, realizing what must have happened. Ian, in an attempt to find something on his sister’s killer, had gotten too close, and was killed because of it. An ache had formed in his chest.

Eight minutes.

His job was difficult, and certainly dangerous as he could attest to, but in cases like these, where he read the victim’s final message, sometimes the job carried its own kind of burden.

Shaking his head to get back on track, he left the message app and started looking through the notes app, searching for anything that could give him a clue to the path Ian had taken home. A minute after looking through the short list, he found nothing, and let out a sigh as he looked away towards the direction the gas station lay.

“Perce, I was looking at the body again when I realized, it was a dump job. Someone dumped him in the apartment room.” Percy looked at the man who had returned from the crime scene.

“Then we have to retrace his footsteps. Take the same path he normally took walking home. Find out where the murder really happened.” Dakota nodded.

It took them nearly half an hour to find the correct alleyway. It had been a small splotch of blood that gave away the scene. Dakota took a swab and dabbed the blood, and began testing it with mobile lab equipment he had brought, but seeing as what the messages had said, this was most likely where Ian had died. Percy knelt down, seeing tire tread marks on the concrete. Not too far away, he noticed a metal bat, laying off to one side, even more of the red liquid marking the side of the weapon. “Look this thing over. If it has prints, I want to know whose.” He told Dakota, handing the metal bat to the forensics scientist.

Backing up, he looked at the scene, trying to imagine what had happened. Ian, who had seen his sister’s killer, had come back, hiding in the shadows in an attempt to get something out of him. Something to incriminate the man for killing Ian’s sister.

“Perce, the prints just got a match. It’s Antonov.”

“What? How? He had an alibi. He was drinking with several buddies of his-,”

“Just shows how much you can really trust a guy.” Dakota responded. It just didn’t make sense to him. Why would the man do this? What could possibly be the reason?

“Then what was the intent?” The other man shook his head.

“He’s ex-Russian mob member. He’s killed before. Multiple times. Now we have a murder weapon with his prints found at the scene. As for the alibi? His buddies could easily lie that he was there the entire time.” Something deep down kept telling him Antonov was not the killer, and that whoever the real killer was, was still out there, living free.

“Boris Antonov, you are under arrest for the murder of Ian McGreggory. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say in court can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can not afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them out to you?” An officer recited to the man. Boris just stood there, looking towards the ground, as though he knew this would happen.

“Yes.” The officer, having handcuffed him, started shoving him forward to the police cruiser waiting outside of the station. As he passed by Percy, he turned towards him, halting. “Find the guy who did this. Find who killed Ian.” The officer just shoved him along, causing the large man to stumble. Percy just watched, the pit in his stomach growing. The man was pushed into the back seat of the cruiser, before the vehicle drove off, vanishing around the corner. 

Dakota looked at him. “You alright Perce?”

“Yeah, I just thought… “ Dakota smiled grimly.

“Percy, you always think the best of people. Someday you are going to have to learn that not everyone is who they seem to be.” Percy nodded, trying to shake the feeling of wrongness he felt.

“Great job, Percy.” Luke congratulated him when he got back to the precinct. “You got another killer off of the streets. Go home and get some rest. I know you need it.”

A couple of days later, the front doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” Serena called. Percy smiled, putting out a trio of plates on the table. Luke walked in grinning at the two of them. “Luke!” Serena shouted, throwing her arms around his midsection. 

“Hey, Serena. I think you’ve actually grown since I last saw you!” She laughed. “How’s school going?”

“Great. They are having us do a report on the Republic Peace Treaty. It’s actually kind of interesting.” Luke grinned, causing the paranoia Percy had to fade as he watched the two interact, reminded of just how close they were. “How are you doing, Perce?” Luke turned towards him.

“Oh, I thought you would never notice me.” The chief let out a chuckle. “I’m doing good, or at least better than I have been.”

“That’s great. Has Serena been helping?” Percy grinned, watching his daughter puff up with pride.

“You have no idea how much she’s helped.”

“That’s good.” The three of them smiled at one another. “How about we eat, cause I believe I promised a game of monopoly to you.” Luke said to Serena who smirked. Percy had thrown a pizza into the oven, as per their usual non formal dinners Luke joined the two on. The three spent the time waiting for the pizza to finish making small talk, just biding time. “Did you know, your father basically fell all over himself the first time he and Elise met back in high school?” Serena looked at her father, eyebrows raised as he ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck.

“That’s not what I… okay, yeah. That’s pretty much what happened.” He admitted, causing Serena to laugh.

“I can’t believe my detective father made a fool of himself the first time he met my mother.” She said with a sigh. Luke chuckled.

“Of course, he didn’t know it at the time, but she had just as big of a crush on him as he did on her. The two were just too oblivious to realize it. Took how many years for the two of you to admit you liked one another?” Percy laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. We took a long time.”

“It was four years, wasn’t it? Four years for the two of you to figure out what the rest of us knew already.” The oven dinged, and Percy rose from his seat.

“Why don’t you talk about the time when you were crushing on her? You were just as bad.” Percy pointed out as he opened the oven. Luke let out a laugh.

“Okay, yes. I admit I had a crush on Elise for quite a while, and often made a fool out of myself. But in the end, she chose your father.” He finished with a sad smile.

“What do you mean?” Serena asked. 

“Well, there was an accident many years ago. A car crash that nearly took Elise’s life. I had been on the other side of the city, dealing with a case. Your father was working on his first case when the call came in. He chose to leave his post, and I didn’t.” Percy sighed.

“There’s more to the story than that, Luke.”

“That’s all she needs to know, Percy. I chose work over Elise, you chose Elise over work. The end.” The two went silent, with Serena looking between the two, her eyes wide. All three remained silent as Percy started cutting the slices into pieces, Luke turning away from the table.

“Okay then… “ Serena said after a moment of the silence.

“Don’t worry about it, kid. It's water under the bridge now.” Luke turned to Serena with a smile.

“True. We are still good friends, are we not?” Percy asked with a smile. The awkward atmosphere that had been building dissipated as Luke turned towards him and grinned. As the sea green eyed man dished the pizza out, normal conversation resumed, leaving that topic behind to be forgotten.

As soon as the trio had finished dinner, they moved to the living room, where the monopoly game lay waiting on the coffee table.

“I’ve been practicing.” Luke challenged, looking at her with a grin.

“So I’ve heard. Think you can beat me yet? A fifteen year old girl?” Serena grinned back.

Percy just looked at the two, and chuckled. “I’ll be here, taking last place, again.” The two turned to him and laughed. The three of them set out to put the game board together, with Percy taking the battleship, Luke the car, and Serena the Scottie dog.

“I knew that would happen.” Luke said, throwing the last of his cash down. Percy had gone bankrupt several rounds back, and had sat back to watch the two play. Serena grinned triumphantly at her win, reminding Percy of Elise once again. “You know, you remind me so much of Elise sometimes, Serena.” Luke said. “Of course, your mother was always rubbing it in our faces too.”

“That she did.” Percy laughed. “Of course, she always made it up to me after.”

“Ew, dad!”  
“Percy!” The two exclaimed in near unison.

“Hey! Get your minds out of the gutter! We would watch a movie and cuddle on the couch together! Sheesh! Shows what you two think of first!”

“Oh,” Serena replied sheepishly. Luke just shook his head, laughing. The other two followed suit, all three laughing together.

Hours later, Serena was laying on Percy’s arm, asleep as he and Luke continued talking. “Hey, I haven’t given up on Elise yet, you know that, right?” Percy asked, watching his daughter sleep with content.

“Yeah. I know. I wouldn’t expect you to. I haven’t given up searching for her either.” Percy grinned, looking back at his old friend. 

“I can’t. Not when I am her only parent left. I can’t trust that something won’t happen.”

“Hey, listen. I know how dangerous our jobs are and such, so know that if anything ever does happen, she always has your mother and me to take care of her. Don’t forget that, alright? She won’t ever be alone if you happen to go down doing your job.“ Percy nodded his thanks. He looked back down at his daughter. “You can always trust that I will be there for her, Perce. No matter what.” Luke looked down at Percy’s left hand.

“You didn’t kill Ian.” Boris looked up from where he was seated in the temporary holding cell, waiting for his court date.

“You seem to be the only one who believes that.”

“I just can’t imagine you killing him, after talking so highly of him. You couldn’t have.” The Russian man just smiled, though there was a sadness behind his eyes.

“To them, it doesn’t matter. I have a dark past. Put the weapon in my hand, and they see a killer. A monster.” Boris looked at him. “Why are you so certain of this anyway?”

“Ian was going after the killer of his sister that night. I believe whoever was there that night, was the real killer.” Boris sat back.

“He found Alex’s killer?” His voice had gone hoarse, eyes blown wide.

“You knew Alex?” He nodded.

“I had cared for her like my own daughter when she ran away from their abusive drug addict mother. Ian had not been abused because she ignored him most of the time, but Alex’s life was in danger. If he had found her killer, then he must have left something.” Seeing Percy’s expression, Boris sighed. “I taught him some things from my time in the Russian mob after Alex’s death. I told him to never carry everything with him. If he found something, he would have wrote it down, or left a recording.” Percy nodded, and left the building.

Returning to the alley, he started searching in the nooks and crannies just as he had done searching for the drive. Not much later, he found a small camera. The device had lost all power, so Percy made his way back to the station, and plugged the small object to an outlet. As soon as the device turned on, he switched to the last recording the device had made, and pressed play.

The video showed two men talking quietly to one another, too soft for the camera’s microphone to hear. One had dark hair, while the other had blonde hair. Based on the center of the camera being pointed to the blonde man, Percy realized Ian knew the blonde haired man was his sister’s murderer. A minute into the video, the two men’s voices had risen just enough for the microphone to pick it up.

“Elijah knew too much about it. That’s why I silenced him.” One said. 

“Well, you left a mess. Now I have to clean it up.”

“I’m sorry sir. I’ll do better.” The dark haired man pleaded.

“No you won’t. The master has made his opinion clear. You failed.” The blonde man raised his hand, revealing a silenced weapon.

“Wait, no… Please! I-.” The dark haired man fell silent, collapsing to the floor. The quality of the microphone was not that great, and Percy didn’t recognize either man’s voice. The sound of a can being knocked over came through the small speakers, and the blonde haired man turned to look in the direction of the camera. Percy felt the hair on the back of his neck rise at the sight.

The camera fell from Ian’s hands, rolling to a stop to show Ian turning and running from the location. The blonde haired man rushed past. A sickening crunch and yell of pain followed, out of the camera’s sight. Pulling his cell out, the blonde man made a phone call. “I have a dead body here. Employee of the gas station just a block from here. Make it look like the gas station owner did it. The police will believe it without question, especially with his past.” Percy paused the video.

“Perce, the killer is on trial right now, if you want to head down. Though with everything as it is, it will probably be over pretty quickly.” An officer told him. He was out the door hurrying to his car moments later.

“...sentence you, Boris Antonov, to twenty five years in Work Camp Tartarus, for the murderer of Ian McGreggory.” Percy had just reached the courthouse doors, camera in tow, when he heard the sentencing.

“Wait, your Honor. I have new evidence!” The judge, a portly man with thin hair looked up at the detective.

“I am sorry, detective, but no new evidence can be submitted. He has already been convicted.” Percy opened his mouth to argue. “Please do not argue with me, detective. The decision has already been made.” Boris looked at him with a small smile.

“It’s alright, detective. At least you found something. A small price to pay for Alex’s murder coming one step closer to being brought to justice.”

Percy could only watch as the man was escorted out of the courthouse, and into the back of a prison transport van. The camera in his raised right hand, fell to his side, nearly slipping from his grasp. “But it wasn’t him. He didn’t do it.” He quietly said to the empty room, the judge and jury having left just moments after Boris had been escorted out.

Percy drove home that night, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Walking through the door, he held Serena close, not saying a word. “Dad, you okay?” She asked about his sudden actions.

“Just needed this.” She nodded, wrapping her own arms around him. He breathed in, before exhaling shakily. The news was playing on the TV, when a breaking news report came up.

“Breaking news! The prison transport carrying Boris Antonov, the murderer of Ian McGreggory was killed in a freak accident, when the transport lost control and crashed outside of the city. Both the driver and escorting officers were spared, but the murderer was killed when the transport rolled over. One of our reporters is heading out to the scene now… “ Percy closed his eyes, and squeezed a little tighter. _”A small price to pay.”_ He had told Percy. It wasn’t such a small price to him, not when he knew the man was innocent. ‘If only I had been faster, an innocent man might not be dead.’ Percy thought.

“Percy, you will not believe what just happened.” Dakota said gleefully the next day.

“What?”

“We got a name for our dead body.” The pit in his stomach returned, a sinking feeling that he knew the man’s name. “Turns out cam footage caught one of the escorts saying his name in a short conversation.” The feeling only grew. “Turns out, the man’s name was Elijah Kelly. We’ve located his house already… “ 

Dakota’s voice faded as the words from the camera came to mind. _”Elijah knew too much about it. That’s why I silenced him.” “Well, you left a mess. Now I have to clean it up.” “I’m sorry sir. I’ll do better.” “No you won’t. The master has made his opinion clear. You failed.” “Wait, no… Please! I-.”_ “...ercy? Perce? You alright?” Percy looked at Dakota, shaken from his thoughts. Percy looked over the man’s shoulder towards the chief’s office. From that angle, the blonde hair of his friend almost matched the blonde from the video. _“Just shows how much you can really trust a guy.”_ Dakota’s words came back to him.

“Hey. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. You alright?” Just then, Luke turned to look out the window, his eyes meeting Percy’s. Luke smiled like an old friend would to another. _”Yeah, I’ll make sure it gets done.”_. But of everything Luke had told him, what he said during Monopoly night scared him the most. _“You can always trust that I will be there for her, Perce. No matter what.”_


	3. Update on Life

Hello all who read my stories.  
I apologize for the silence, but I recently started a seasonal job, and thus my life has been pretty busy. As soon as I get time, I will remove this note and replace it with a chapter for your enjoyment. The same goes for my other story Stardust. Please have patience with me, as I do intend to keep writing. Thanks.


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